Check download links for malware with VTChromizer for Google Chrome

It never hurts to have a wingman when you're trying to avoid malware on the Web, and VirusTotal has been a trusted companion for quite some time. Its Web-based scanner offers an easy way to check a file for infection prior to downloading, and it's just gotten a lot easier to access in Google Chrome.

A new extension called VTChromizer adds two-click analysis via VirusTotal to your Chrome context menu. Find a file you want to download, right click and choose Scan with VirusTotal, and wait for the analysis to complete. Once you've got the all-clear, you can download your file with confidence. VTChromizer also allows you to search the VT database for a hash, URL, keyword, or for files submitted by a specific user via a drop-down menu.

Sure, most capable antivirus programs do a decent job at protecting you from malicious files -- but sometimes when you're about to grab something from a site you're not familiar with it's nice to inspect it before you download.